Essay

Glossary Term – Event

Written anonymously by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions encouraged states to nullify unconstitutional federal laws. The Resolutions were a direct response to the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Glossary Term – Event

Four Alien and Sedition Acts were passed in 1798. The Naturalization Act increased the waiting period for citizenship. The Alien Act gave the president the power to arrest and deport aliens. The Alien Enemy Act allowed the government to arrest and deport citizens of countries at war with the United States. The Sedition Act stifled opposition to the government and promised to punish those who would “defame [the government and members of the government], or bring either into contempt or disrepute, or to excite against either the hatred of the...

Glossary Term – Person

Multimedia

Teaching Resource

The tension between individual rights and a government’s need to preserve and protect national security during times of war has represented a constant theme throughout American history.

During the John Adams administration, a conflict with France resulted in the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, laws that violated the First Amendment by limiting people’s freedom to criticize the government and encouraged fear of foreigners living in the United States. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson famously responded with...